Longtime Hallmark star and director Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe has faced many hard things during her battle with stage three breast cancer, but one of the toughest was telling her nine-year-old daughter about her diagnosis.
The “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” star posted an Instagram video on April 19, 2026, in which she shared how “terrifying” but important that conversation was, acknowledging in her caption that while battling cancer, “the idea that we might not be around … crosses your mind constantly. I know I was and still am scared.”
Crystal Lowe Says Friends & Therapists Advised Her to Be Honest With Her Daughter
Lowe first shared her breast cancer diagnosis in October, as she was beginning treatment, which has included 16 weeks of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and a follow-up surgery when additional cancer cells were found. The mom of two is taking a break from treatment to direct a new movie, but will then undergo several weeks of radiation.
Thinking back on preparing to tell her daughter she had cancer, Lowe said, “It was terrifying for me and I don’t see a lot of videos talking about that.”
“I really didn’t want to use the cancer word, I didn’t want to say the ‘C’ word,” Lowe admitted. “But I was advised from so many people, and therapists, that I should — she was nine at the time, and she would know. So I decided to be as upfront with her as I could.”
Lowe revealed the most heartbreaking moment of that conversation was when her daughter asked, “Are you going up there?” while pointing to the sky, as Lowe was “trying not to sob during it.”
Despite having to face such big questions, Lowe said, “It ended up going really, really well and she really understood, you know, that Mommy was gonna fight and take all the medicine from anywhere and everywhere I could.”
In January, Lowe posted another video in which she said the chat with her daughter was the one she was most scared about, worried that seeing her mom fight cancer would “break her.” But Lowe was thrilled to report at the time that her mini-me was being “so strong.”
Crystal Lowe Says Chat With Her Daughter Led Her to Find a New Way to Record Her Stories for Her Family
HallmarkLowe’s hard talk with her daughter “sparked a bigger conversation for me,” she said in her video. “I kept thinking during this, ‘I should be writing all this stuff down or what if something (bad) does happen or what if I just don’t remember this journey because your body’s in so much trauma that sometimes you actually, just like, blank out and forget?'”
She wanted to record her experience, but couldn’t add another thing to her plate while juggling cancer, her career, and her kids, whom she shares with husband Miko Tomasevich. Lowe admitted in her post’s caption, “If I’m being honest I don’t have the energy to write letters or journal.”
Fortunately, she said, she discovered a “brilliant” app called Forevermore that asks her questions, records her voice, and sends her answers to those connected to her profile. She’s now partnered with the app in hopes of sharing it with other parents facing similar challenges.
Lowe wrote in her caption, “When I am no longer here (I’m planning on being here till I’m 90 FYI) I want my kids and my grandkids to be able to hear my voice and get any advice or love I can give them. And I wanted to record the journey I’m on in real time without pressure. The app just asks you questions and you answer. It’s a perfect solution when you’re overwhelmed.”
Lowe has, impressively, remained committed to working whenever she can throughout her treatment. In addition to currently directing, she will appear in the May 9 Hallmark Channel premiere of “All’s Fair in Love and Mahjong,” starring Paul Campbell and Fiona Gubelmann.
